Army kills spokesman of B’Haram faction

The Nigeria Army said it has killed Ahmed Sale, spokesman of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the Boko Haram faction which claimed responsibility for the abduction of Leah Sharibu and other schoolgirls in Dapchi, Yobe State.

In a statement, the army said Sale was killed in an operation by troops in conjunction with personnel of the Nigerian air force.

“Reports available revealed that one Sale Ahmad Sale aka Baban Hassan, the leader of Al-Barnawi media group, a faction of Boko Haram was killed by a joint operation conducted by the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Air Force,” the statement read.

“The killing of the media leader is indicative of efforts by the NA to eliminate key members of the sect.

“It is worthy to note that the sect is directly affiliated to the Islamic State and has carried out several attacks against own troops and innocent civilians in the past.”

The statement said the death of Sale has shown that the leadership of the insurgent group was targeted successfully by the military..

The army said it had identified Abul-Fadl Gali as the new leader of Jama’atu Nus’ratul-Islami Wal-Muslimina, another insurgent sect.

“The group is a new terrorist group which Ansaru is affiliated to. In the same vein, the identification of the leader of Jama’atu Nus’ratul-Islami Wal-Muslimina group would enable the NA to target the group effectively using advanced technologies in its arsenal,” it said.